Vacuum bases



Dec. 1, 1964 J. RUBINSTEIN 3,159,370

VACUUM BASES Filed Jan. 51, 1962 INVENTOR, 2o 28 JOSEPH RUBINSTEIN,

ATIZORNEY United States Patent Gfifice 3,593) Patented Dec. 1, 19643,159,370 VAQUUM BASES Joseph Rubinstein, Newhurgh, N.'1., assignor toGeneral Slicing Machine (10., Inc, Walden, N.Y., a corporation of NewYork Filed Jan. 31, 1%2, Ser. No. 170,279

4 Claims. (Cl. 248-346) The present invention relates to a vacuum basewhich may serve as the base of a vise structure, a meat grinder, avegetable cutter and shredder and other appliances which need bereleasably attached onto a surface.

Like for a vacuum cup, such surface need be non-porous for the vacuumbase to become attached thereto, but this vacuum base works differently.To set a vacuum cup, it is placed so its rim contacts said surface whereit is to attach. Then the cup is pressed to collapse it against saidsurface and hence expel air from the cups interior. Finally upon releaseof the cup, it will expand and due to the vacuum condition therebycaused to exist within the cup, the effect of atmospheric pressure willhold the cup fast to said surface.

The vacuum base comprises essentially a separate rubber paid positionedacross, closing and extending preferably a bit beyond the mouth of adished member; the exposed surface of said pad being flat. Inside saiddished member, an element extends from the central region of said padwhere it is engaged by a crank, cam or the like to be turned by anexterior handle. To mount the vacuum base, it is set so that the padcontacts the surface to which it is to attach. Then the handle isturned. This causes the pad to become dished and the enclosed space thuscreated between said pad and surface, being a vacuum, the base is heldfast to such surface.

Heretofore, vacuum bases of this class, presented various objectionableincidents, which principally were that to attain a required holdingforce, pad area was quite large and many a time, an edge of the pad wasdrawn into the dished base member to a greater extent than was theopposite edge of the pad when the device was operated to have it attach,thus causing the appliance carried by the base, to be titled to oneside.

It is therefore another object of this invention to provide a novel andimproved vacuum base construction of the kind set forth, which for agiven effective pad area, will have much more holding force that washeretofore possible.

Another object thereof is to provide that when the base is attached, itwill always hold the appliance on it, true upright.

Another grevious fault heretofore prevlant in devices of this class, wasthat though detachment was difficult when forced, lateral slippage was acommon experience.

It is therefore another object of this invention to provide a novel andimproved vacuum base construction, in which the force of attachmentavoids lateral slippage. The vacuum base of this invention, stays put onthe spot it has attached itself to.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a novel andimproved vacuum base of the sort described, having the attributesmentioned, and which is simple in construction, reasonable in cost, easyto manipulate and efficient in carrying out the purposes for which it isdesigned.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosureproceeds.

For the practice of this invention, to get a larger vacuum space for agiven pad area and hence attain a greater holding force than washeretofore accomplished with the same size of pad, a comparativelylarger central part of the pad is made stifif which I prefer to do byhaving a metal plate imbedded therein. Attached to this plate is a lugfor engagement by a crank operable by an external handle. Theperimetrical lane of the pad which is in contact with the mouth rim ofthe dished base member, is flat. The perimeter of said mouth rim ispreferably of pinched shape, that is a pair of its opposite sides arearched towards each other. This will be shown as an aid to maintain thegreatest volume of the vacuum space.

T o prevent askew pad positions when the base is attached and hencemaintain the appliance in true position, there are spaced ribs on theinner face of the pad, extending from said central stiff region to aboutsaid perimetral lane where the ends of said ribs engage the inner wallof the dished base member when the pad is shifted tovacuum-space-producing position. The perimeter of the pad is everywherea bit beyond the dished base members mouth rim. Along opposite sides ofthe pad, there are elongated tabs, so that with such tab formations, thepad structure straddles the dished base member.

In the accompanying drawing, similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum base embodying the teachings ofthis invention. As a matter of example, it is shown as the base of avise.

All the following views are drawn to a slightly reduced scale in respectto that of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal section of said vacuum base, shown ininactive condition.

FIG. 3 is a section taken at line 3-3 in FIG. 2, showing only the rubberpad assembly.

FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 2, but here the device is set on a surface towhich it has become attached; the shift to this operative conditionhaving been done by placing the device on said surface and whilepressing it downward, the handle was turned to a position whereby avacuum space was formed in the space created between said surface andthe rubber pad.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the rubber pad with elements it carriesas a unitary structure.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of FIG. 5.

In the drawing, a preferred form and construction of my new vacuum baseis designated generally by the numeral 15. It consists of a rubber padindicated generally by the numeral 16, within the perimetrical confinesof which is the dished member 17, with its mouth rim 18 against saidpad. The exposed pad surface 16' is flat. A comparatively large centralsection of such pad is stiffened by a metal plate 19 embedded thereinand there are a series of ribs 20, 20, spaced around said centralsection inside the dished base member on said pad, extending from saidsection to very near the inner Wall of said dished member 17. A lug 21extends into said dished member from the stiffening plate 19, wherethrough a slot 21' in said lug, there is a crank 22 which is journalledinterior said dished base member. This crank extends exteriorly where itterminates in a handle 23. For a practical and economical mounting, thecrank has a bend at'24 and terminates in a bearing 25. This lastmentioned crank shaft end is threaded to receive a stop screw 26 whichis manipulated through the hole 27. The upper part of the lug 21 is atab which slidably fits into a socket 27'. Tabs 28, 28, integral withthe pad 16, extend therefrom exterior the dished base member 17 and hugsaid dished member.

It is to be noted that it is the inner edge 29 of the mouth rim 18 ofthe dished member 17, that offers the actual perimetrical line ofcontact with the pad 16, when the device 15 is manipulated to change itscondition from that of FIG. 2 to that of FIG. 4. The pe-. r-imetral Wallof the dished member 17 is of uniform thickness and so the outer edge 2%of the mouth rim is similar to the inner perimetrical edge 29 and thesame shape is for the pad 16, in the embodiment illustrated.

The high attachment power offered by this device 15, is due to thecreation of as large as possible a vacuum chamber caused by the presenceof the large stiff central section of the pad and the holding of thedeformed pad in its fully dished shape, without leave to collapse; thelatter condition being due to the presence of the opposite convex wallsinterior the dished member, indicated at 30, 30'. f course, the inneredge 29 of the mouth rim 18 of the dished member 17, will also havethese opposite convex sections as part of its perimeter.

Imagine that the stiffening plate 19 is omitted. It becomes evident thatwith such construction, the volume of the vacuum chamber would beconsiderably less than is accomplished when the pad is stiff in acomparatively large central section thereof as herein taught. The basearea and the altitude of both volumes would be the same. Without theplate 19, the shape of such vol ume would be substantially that of apyramid, while when the plate 19 is included as herein shown, the shapeof such volume is that of the frusturn of a pyramid. With the use ofsuch stiffener 19 or other suitable manner to stiffen a comparativelylarge central area of the pad, the volume of the vacuum chamber isnearly twice that ohtainable when the entire pad is soft. It is to benoted that the holding power is determined by the base area and theextent to which the air has been rarefied in the volume desired to bevacuum. So in setting the device 15 onto a surface and then bringing itscondition to that shown in FIG. 4 by a part turn of the handle 23, avolume of where vacuum is desired is created, but until there is goodadhesion between the pad 7 will bite into the pad 16 and that along thewalls 36,

3%), said pad will be formed with opposite Walls whose inner surfaceswill be convex. The tendency of such convex inner walls formed in thepad, will be to straighten. Such tendency is to enlarge the volumementioned. If insteadof being opposite inner convex walls, they wereopposite inner concave walls, the tendency of concave Walls would be tostraighten, but such straightening would tend for the collapse of thementioned volume.

It is also to be noted that when the pad 116 is drawn into the dishedbase member 17, the entrance of an edge of said pad therein is avoidedby the exterior tabs 28, 28' and because the outer ends of the ribs 2%,25% bear against the interior perimetrical wall of the dished basemember,symmetry of position of the pad with respect to the mouth rim ofsaid dished member is attained. All .this assures that the appliance onthe base will be true upright when the device 15 attaches itself onto asurface.

Such appliance may be a vise 31 or for example it may be a vegetablegrater and slicer, a meat grinder or other items which need bereleasably mounted onto a surface. Devices as taught herein may be usedto suspend a temporary chandelier or electric fan from a ceil ing, or alamp, sign and other items from a wall., In

to form a unitary structure, or they be part of the structure of saidappliances, in the same manner as the vise 31 herein is shown to be madepart integral with the dished base member 17.

It is preferred that the inner edge 29 of the mouth rim of the dishedmember 17 shall have rounded corners and that the outer edge 29 and theperimeter of the pad 16 shall be similar in shape to said innerperimetral edge 29.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applicationsivithout' departing from the essential features herein set forth. It istherefore intended and desired that the embodiment herein shall bedeemed merely illustrative and that the patent shall cover allpatentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to thefollowing claims rather than to the specific description and showingherein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum base of the character described, a dished member, arubber pad; the entire month rim of said member contacting one surfaceof said pad; said rim being within the confines of said pad; theperimetrical Wall of said dished member having two opposite sides; theinterior surface of'each of said sides being convex whereby the inneredges of the mouth rim are convex along said sides respectively; theother surface of said pad being normally flat and adapted to be set ontoa flat surface, means stiffening a comparatively large central portionof said pad; the remainder of said pad being resilient and means movablymounted on said mem ber, engaging said central pad portion and adaptedwhen moved in a predetermined direction, to bring said stiffened centralportion of the pad into said member whereby said pad will assume dishedform and further adapted when moved in a certain direction, to have thepad assume its normal condition.

2. A vacuum base as defined in claim 1, wherein the pad has oppositeside edges, including tabs, one along apart of each of said edges; saidtabs contacting said dished member on its exterior.

3. A vacuum base as defined in claim 1, wherein said paid has ribstructure interior the dished member, comprising ribs in spaced relationaround the said central portion of the pad; said ribs extending fromsaid portion towards and up close to the perimetral wall of said dishedmember; said ribs contacting the interior surface of the perirnetricalwall of said dished member when the pad is made to assume dished form.

4. A vacuum base as defined in claim 3, wherein the pad has oppositeside edges, including tabs, one along a part of each of said'edges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS,

1,840,400 1/32 Lebherz 248362 2,143,783 1/39 Liebman 248-206 2,908,46710/59 Gberer 248-206 2,940,713 6/60 Van Dusen 248--206 2,965,345 12/60Gundelfinger et al. 243-206 X FOREIGN PATENTS 435,981 10/35 7' GreatBritain. 465,314 5/37 Great Britain. 850,035 9/ 6i)- Great, Britain.

1,074,237 1/60 Germany.

CLAUDE A. LEROY, Primary Exuminer. FRANK ABBOTT, Examiner.

1. IN A VACUUM BASE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, A DISHED MEMBER, ARUBBER PAD; THE ENTIRE MOUTH RIM OF SAID MEMBER CONTACTING ONE SURFACEOF SAID PAD; SAID RIM BEING WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SAID PAD; THEPERIMETRICAL WALL OF SAID DISHED MEMBER HAVING TWO OPPOSITE SIDES; THEINTERIOR SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID SIDES BEING CONVEX WHEREBY THE INNEREDGES OF THE MOUTH RIM ARE CONVEX ALONG SAID SIDES RESPECTIVELY; THEOTHER SURFACE OF SAID PAD BEING NORMALLY FLAT AND ADAPTED TO BE SET ONTOA FLAT SURFACE, MEANS STIFFENING A COMPARATIVELY LARGE CENTRAL PORTIONOF SAID PAD; THE REMAINDER OF SAID PAD BEING RESILIENT AND MEANS MOVABLYMOUNTED ON SAID MEMBER, ENGAGING SAID CENTRAL PAD PORTION AND ADAPTEDWHEN MOVED IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, TO BRING SAID STIFFENED CENTRALPORTION OF THE PAD INTO SAID MEMBER WHEREBY SAID PAD WILL ASSUME DISHEDFORM AND FURTHER ADAPTED WHEN MOVED IN A CERTAIN DIRECTION TO HAVE THEPAD ASSUME ITS NORMAL CONDITION.